Rational Design of Core@shell Structured CoSx@Cu2MoS4 Hybridized MoS2/N,S‐Codoped Graphene as Advanced Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting and Zn‐Air Battery

A novel hybrid of small core@shell structured CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄ uniformly hybridizing with a molybdenum dichalcogenide/N,S‐codoped graphene hetero‐network (CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG) is prepared by a facile route. It shows excellent performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium. The hybrid exhibits rapid kinetics for ORR with high electron transfer number of ≈3.97 and exciting durability superior to commercial Pt/C. It also demonstrates great potential with remarkable stability for HER and OER, requiring low overpotential of 118.1 and 351.4 mV, respectively, to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2. An electrolyzer based on CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG produces low cell voltage of 1.60 V and long‐term stability, surpassing a device of Pt/C + RuO₂/C. In addition, a Zn‐air battery using cathodic CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG catalyst delivers a high cell voltage of ≈1.44 V and a power density of 40 mW cm^?2 at 58 mA cm^?2, better than the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst. These achievements are due to the rational combination of highly active core@shell CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄ with large‐area and high‐porosity MoS₂/NSG to produce unique physicochemical properties with multi‐integrated active centers and synergistic effects. The outperformances of such catalyst suggest an advanced candidate for multielectrocatalysis applications in metal‐air batteries and hydrogen production.     

Boosted Growth Performance,Mucosal and Serum Immunity,and Disease Resistance Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) Fingerlings Using Corncob-Derived Xylooligosaccharide and Lactobacillus plantarum CR1T5

The present work, herein, studied the effects of corncob-derived xylooligosaccharides (CDXOS) and Lactobacillus plantarum CR1T5 (LP) integrated into fish d     

A standardized assessment of forest mammal communities reveals consistent functional composition and vulnerability across the tropics

The understanding of global diversity patterns has benefitted from a focus on functional traits and how they relate to variation in environmental conditions among assemblages. Distant communities in similar environments often share characteristics, and for tropical forest mammals, this functional trait convergence has been demonstrated at coarse scales (110–200 km resolution), but less is known about how these patterns manifest at fine scales, where local processes (e.g. habitat features and anthropogenic activities) and biotic interactions occur. Here, we used standardized camera trapping data and a novel analytical method that accounts for imperfect detection to assess how the functional composition of terrestrial mammal communities for two traits – trophic guild and body mass – varies across 16 protected areas in tropical forests and three continents, in relation to the extent of protected habitat and anthropogenic pressures. We found that despite their taxonomic differences, communities generally have a consistent trophic guild composition, and respond similarly to these factors. Insectivores were found to be sensitive to the size of protected habitat and surrounding human population density. Body mass distribution varied little among communities both in terms of central tendency and spread, and interestingly, community average body mass declined with proximity to human settlements. Results indicate predicted trait convergence among assemblages at the coarse scale reflects consistent functional composition among communities at the local scale, suggesting that broadly similar habitats and selective pressures shaped communities with similar trophic strategies and responses to drivers of change. These similarities provide a foundation for assessing assemblages under anthropogenic threats and sharing conservation measures.     

苦苣苔科凹柱苣苔属在越南的发现及水晶凹柱苣苔的补充描述

中越边境喀斯特地区有着异乎寻常的植物多样性,已经成为全球生物多样性研究和保护的热点区域,近年来在该区发现了多个苦苣苔科植物的新种或新属。凹柱苣苔属是2010年才被建立的新属,该属的花与叶相比,花较大,叶相对较小,叶片边缘稍外卷,花序仅单花,柱头盘状或凹坑状,蒴果长椭球形而有别于苦苣苔科的其他属。凹柱苣苔属为喀斯特专性植物,目前仅包括分布于黔西南的凹柱苣苔和分布于滇东南的水晶凹柱苣苔两个物种。作者在开展中越边境喀斯特地区植物多样性调查时,在越南北部的河江省发现了水晶凹柱苣苔,基于该新发现居群的植物标本,对其进行了补充描述,确认其花期为11月—12月,并对该物种濒危状况进行了重新评估,同时提供了野外生态照片以资辨认。目前,越南已记录苦苣苔科植物32属150余种,凹柱苣苔属在越南北部的发现,不仅丰富了该国苦苣苔科植物的多样性,再一次充分证明了中越边境喀斯特地区是一个完整的植物区系地理单元,而且为稀有的水晶凹柱苣苔提供了更加丰富的野外本底资料,对其将来的深入研究和保护具有重要的生物地理学和保护生物学意义。     

A model for gain of function in superoxide dismutase

Studies have found that mutant, misfolded superoxide dismutase [Cu–Zn] (SOD1) can convert wild type SOD1 (wtSOD1) in a prion-like fashion, and that misfolded wtSOD1 can be propagated by release and uptake of protein aggregates. In developing a prion-like mechanism for this propagation of SOD1 misfolding we have previously shown how enervation of the SOD1 electrostatic loop (ESL), caused by the formation of transient non-obligate SOD1 oligomers, can lead to an experimentally observed gain of interaction (GOI) that results in the formation of SOD1 amyloid-like filaments. It has also been shown that freedom of ESL motion is essential to catalytic function. This work investigates the possibility that restricting ESL mobility might not only compromise superoxide catalytic activity but also serve to promote the peroxidase activity of SOD1, thus implicating the formation of SOD1 oligomers in both protein misfolding and in protein oxidation.     

How to Make a Rodent Giant: Genomic Basis and Tradeoffs of Gigantism in the Capybara,the World’s Largest Rodent

Gigantism results when one lineage within a clade evolves extremely large body size relative to its small-bodied ancestors, a common phenomenon in animals. Theory predicts that the evolution of giants should be constrained by two tradeoffs. First, because body size is negatively correlated with population size, purifying selection is expected to be less efficient in species of large body size, leading to increased mutational load. Second, gigantism is achieved through generating a higher number of cells along with higher rates of cell proliferation, thus increasing the likelihood of cancer. To explore the genetic basis of gigantism in rodents and uncover genomic signatures of gigantism-related tradeoffs, we assembled a draft genome of the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the world’s largest living rodent. We found that the genome-wide ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations (ω) is elevated in the capybara relative to other rodents, likely caused by a generation-time effect and consistent with a nearly neutral model of molecular evolution. A genome-wide scan for adaptive protein evolution in the capybara highlighted several genes controlling postnatal bone growth regulation and musculoskeletal development, which are relevant to anatomical and developmental modifications for an increase in overall body size. Capybara-specific gene-family expansions included a putative novel anticancer adaptation that involves T-cell-mediated tumor suppression, offering a potential resolution to the increased cancer risk in this lineage. Our comparative genomic results uncovered the signature of an intragenomic conflict where the evolution of gigantism in the capybara involved selection on genes and pathways that are directly linked to cancer.